Outback with Darren Carr

I caught up with Darren at the Venthaven ConVENTion this year. Anyone in the vent community knows who Darren is. He has appeared in a headline capacity four times at the convention.

Those outside the community might not know him.

Let me just say that he is one of the top if not THE top working ventriloquist in Australia.

We talked for about an hour one afternoon. Both of us dragging from convention activities. Though he is a funny funny man, Darren spoke plainly and intelligently about the biz and art of ventriloquism. You'll enjoy this one. So read on as the Vent-o-gram presents another “exciting episode from those thrilling days at the ConVENTion.’ Here is Darren Carr.

How do you think the workshop went this AM?

Well, I was ‘happyish’ about it, if I’m being honest.  I woke up at 8, had a shower, ironed my shirt, had my breakfast and sat down at my computer about 8:50 AM.  I then wrote down a couple of things with pen and paper.  Then I fell back asleep at about 9:05 AM, (laughter) and woke up about 10:05 am.

You had to be on stage at 10:15

In ten minutes yes, so things didn’t go according to plan.

Are you disciplined in your writing,

No, definitely not.  I’m horrible at it actually.

You mentioned in the workshop that you have a card file in your head.  How do you retain all of that?

I have no idea.  (laughter)  But I do retain it, although there is not a lot ‘up there.’  But here is the thing, this is my hobby/passion/whatever…comedy and ventriloquism.  I, in some ways,  eat, sleep and breathe it and don’t do anything else. 

Really?

Well, I do like music. I play the guitar and have done it for years.  I did that as a job for twenty years.  Was in a cover band and just hated it.

Were you a funny guy from the beginning?

No, but my dad was.  He was a musician and worked one of the major clubs in Sydney that had international acts coming through.  My dad was the bandleader.  Every show they brought in comedians.  From the word go my dad, every morning at the breakfast table, would tell jokes he had heard the night before.  Seeing him laugh so much, that is where my love of comedy came from.  And then, if I found a joke and told it to him and he would laugh, well that was joyous.

So your Dad was an influence?

Yeah, he had a tough life, and having him laugh was a great thing.

When did you discover your funny bone?

Darren, filling time.

From the music and being in bands.  Someone had to front the band, you know be an emcee.  That is where my engaging an audience came from.  You know, someone would break a string and I would have to fill time.  That is when I started compiling jokes though I wasn’t serious about it.  The whole business of filling time was just kind of fun to do.  And then, I worked solo for a while and started talking more than I was singing and playing.  The audiences seemed to enjoy it.

How did you make the transition?

Well, it was the 90’s, and I saw the music industry going downhill.  I didn’t want to be part of that sitting in the corner of a pub playing the same old songs when I was 70. Plus, I had gotten divorced, I was single, my grandmother had sold her house and gave me some money.  I went to a comedy store in Sydney to try out the comedy thing.  You know, be a stand up.

What happened?

Well, I met this comedian who knew my Dad and we hit it off.  He said, “Don’t get into this game.  This comedy club stuff.  The money is in corporate and cruise ships. And, if you’re going to do comedy, do something different.  Don’t just do standup.”  So, I started thinking about that.  And I remembered that I had a puppet as a kid.  And, I remembered some of the funny stuff that Chris Kirby had done.  So, I started thinking about vent.

Chris Kirby

How did you go from thinking to doing?

Well, I had the money my grandmother had given me, so I bought a ticket and went to the ConVENTion.  That was in 1993.  I had never done vent and just wanted to find out what it was all about.  So, the first show I saw had Dan Horn, Ronn Lucas, Jeff Dunham, Brad Cummings and I’m thinking, “This is great, I’m seeing the best!”

What were you thinking?

Not being egotistical, but I thought, “I can do this.”  I could see what they were doing and realized I could split all this up, compartmentalize it and go to work.

What is remarkable about this is your motivation. 

When I received the money from my grandmother, there were very specific instructions.  She said, “I want you to take this money and do something for yourself.”  You know, this all happened in a two-month period.  Getting the money, and then an old vent in Australia gave me a Maher pamphlet which had an ad for the convention on the back.  And, at the same time I had also seen David Strassman work, and I thought, “Ok, ventriloquism can be cool.”

Did you think this was like, Providential?

In a way, but I don’t consider myself a religious person.  But there was a synchronicity going on.  I certainly can’t deny that.  And then seeing all those vents at the same time, like Jay Johnson and the others. It was never ending.  I went home, bought a doll, and most importantly I bought the Paul Winchell DVD.

And next?

Within six weeks, I entered myself into a talent contest, and won. This was like America’s Got talent.  You had to go back every week and do another six minutes of material for six weeks. After the Talent Quest run I had 40 minutes!   Then this agent saw me and offered me a job. 

This is a remarkable story.  You’re a really funny guy.  But here’s the question.  Were you ‘mature’ right out of the shoot or did you have to develop that sense of funny?

I’d spent a lot of time watching comedy on TV and I think that had a lot to do with it.  It kind of got into my bones so when I started doing vent, it was already there.  At that time, I was really into English comedy because we had a lot of that in Australia.  I thought about it quite a bit and realized at some point that I really liked ‘one liner’ comedy and of course that transplanted itself into my approach to vent.

Are you comfortable on stage at this point?

Oh yeah.  From the word go I’ve always been on stage.  My Dad would always have us at the shows where he was playing.  The acts would use my brother and I as props and Dad always had us singing at family gatherings, with him playing the piano.  I saw that as normal.

Let’s talk about comedy for a minute.  You do a lot of ad lib. stuff.   How do you define ‘ad lib?’

A lot of people say it is coming up with something on the spot.  But, that’s in a file in your head.  It’s more recall of what’s already therer. But, then, I know I can have nothing and say something from it that is funny. So, I’m kind of in both worlds.  But mostly, ad libs are recall. 

You mentioned that the money was in corporate.  Is that where you landed?

Yes.

What have you learned doing corporate?

Don’t be afraid.  A lot of people get intimidated.  Their just people. Corporate is different because they are tied to other people so even though it is social, they are still ‘working.’  If they’re with friends at a barbecue, they’ll say anything.  But in a corporate environment that all has to be filtered you know.

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re doing a corporate, throw out a one-liner and the employees look at the boss to see if it is ok to laugh?

Well, as I said in my workshop, I always put myself down first.  Then, I start to take on the audience.  If people are laughing and they see the boss is laughing, then we are all good. At that point in time, I can pick on anyone. But, if I go to the boss first you can lose the room.  You learn this stuff with time.

In your corporate act, do you 'go to the audience' a lot?

 '

Yes, that is what they seem to enjoy.  I don’t know why.  The puppet I use of course is the Minnie Me, Darryl. 

Darryl and Darren

What happens when you bring out Darryl?

I say to the audience, “I know you folks think ventriloquists are weird, but that’s not true.  To prove it I have a different sort of doll.  He is good looking, intelligent and a little bit sexy.”  Then I pull him out.

And the room goes nuts.

Yeah, they think it is funny.  Even though it is old school vent, the look is different.

How did you get the idea for Darryl?

Joel Leder.  Joel was at the convention and he had a bunch of handouts.  He had a photo of a double that he had made.  I thought, what a great idea.  No one is going to have a puppet like that.  I mean, who would WANT a puppet to look like themselves.  (laughter)  But, you do that, and instantly, you’re original.  He was selling a book on how to make dolls.  So I bought it, went home, sat in the garage for weeks.  Sat with a lump of clay and thought “What’s the worst that can happen? If it turns out bad, who cares, no one will see it. 

Joel Leder

Let’s go back to material.  I’ve noticed that the greats sort of have a filter in their brain.  Meaning everything that happens in life goes through that filter with the idea of “how can I use that in my act?”  The antenna is always up.  Does that happen to you?

Not so much with me.  I don’t really sit down to write. 

But obviously, you have a joke file in your head.  Where does that come from?

Everywhere.

So you read something, you think this is funny and you write it down in ‘Notes’ on your phone.

Yes, but I try to stay clear of social media, memes that sort of thing, because it is already ‘out there.’  You know, if a hundred million people have already heard a joke, well that’s not good.  On the other hand, if I hear something that I think is a really good line, I’ll still put it in my phone with a note that such and such is a rewrite. 

What qualifies as a rewrite?

Well it qualifies if it fits my style or the subject is already something I’m doing in the act.  I’m also a big fan of sitcoms.  Those shows are all dialog based and there are ideas all over the place. Recently I picked up a line from Frasier…..

Niles:  You’re putting on a little weight

Daffney:  Tell me something I don’t know

Niles:  Well, salads taste nice.

I thought to myself, what a gorgeous line.  And of course, being fat myself ……well it works.

Is that stealing?

Technically yes, but I am not stealing any comedian’s material.  I picked up this idea of watching sitcoms from Willie Tyler.

Yeah, Willie said the same in another Vent-o-gram.

There are a lot of great sitcoms out there that provide a jump off for material.

Well that is what I’m talking about when I said, “Do you have a comedy filter.”  You’re not just engaged with the episode.

Right.  I can’t watch a sitcom or see another comedian without being in that mode.  And yet, you also have to be mindful of what is acceptable and what is not.  This from a politically correct vantage point.  It is always changing.

You mentioned something in your workshop.  That your audiences are smart.

Yeah.  Audiences are not different to me.  We are all the same.  Some of us have different talents, but we are still the same.  I tried to treat my audience with the same respect that I expect for myself.  Because of that respect I have never lost a job.

OK, nitty gritty.  In this morning’s workshop, which was very funny by the way, how much stuff was from the card file and how much just came to you?

I can’t remember what I did.  (laughter)  I had written a few things down, but most everything was off the top of my head.  Although, I did drop some lines from the file. 60% was card file. 

What about last night when you emcee’d the show.

On stage at the conVENTion with Darryl

Most everything was card file.  I had to keep things moving.  There was a negative vibe going on backstage about being on time.  So, I was feeling that pressure as the emcee.  That’s why my bits kept getting shorter and shorter as the night went on.  (laughter) 

How important is it for an audience to like you?

Definitely important.

Ok, here comes the stock question. What is next for you?

Well, I’m 60, I have a lovely life on the water, I’m single, I’m happy, I can do pretty much what I want.  If I want to go to the states, I can knowing when I get back there is work waiting for me.

Financially, I’m fine.  Having all of that makes me feel like…..well, I feel like I have done the right thing.  I’ve tried to treat people well, with respect.  There is no foul language in my show ever.  Someone is paying me to do a job so I do what they want me to do.  I’m respectful to my audience.  I’m not working too hard, I’m working enough.  If I can do this another 10 years, I’ll be a very happy man.  What it all adds up to is this: “I’m fine with me.” 

To use an American phrase, bottom line?

Well, I have no hidden agenda, I don’t want to educate them.  I’m not imparting wisdom.

I just want to make people laugh.  If I do, the happier they’ll be, and the happier I’ll be.

finis

To see Darren in action, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdXSSUHE2ps&t=36s

To find out more about Darren, go here: https://www.darrencarr.com/

Next time on vent-o-gram we will delve into the mind of Steve Petra!